I have been speaking with some new friends that completed a home energy audit. Because I am in a related energy efficient business, it was an easy ‘ice breaker’ topic for them to bring up.

I asked when they did their home energy audit. They explained that it had been about six or seven months prior. I was a little surprised that they had not taken any action with any of the items in the audit. In any event, we started discussing the things the audit recommended.

One of the easy audit recommendations was to caulk and reseal all the openings in their house. This could include the attic, around the garage, windows, doors, and even vents. This is a quick and simple thing to do, but when the energy audit company completed their analysis, there was no next step. As a result, they did nothing.

As I discussed with my new friends, you know all the things that need to be done to make your home more energy efficient, but you weren’t given any idea on what to do next. I gave them a few ideas. First, although caulking and resealing is an easy and inexpensive thing to do, it also needs to be done on an annual basis. Most people forget to maintain it. As a result, if this is the sole focus for making your home more energy efficient, it will be a losing proposition.

One item that does show up on the energy audit is windows and doors. And although there is more investment involved here, provided you select the right window, it should be more of a permanent solution. And many times, if you ask the energy audit company who they would recommend to do the work, they will not only give you the name of a trusted home improvement company, they have probably negotiated discounts for you as well.

So, if you are getting ready to do that energy audit, be prepared to do a few things. See if the energy audit company has qualified and pre-screened home improvement companies you can work with to implement parts of the energy audit. Also, in your mind, establish an ‘energy efficient’ budget for your home. This allows you to make some decisions on what parts of the energy audit you want to tackle first. And it will also help you follow through on your plan to make your home more energy efficient.